Bombonieres and Wedding Cakes
by whitetiger91
Summary: All Lily wants is for James to help out a little more with their wedding plans. When he does, however, will she regret it? Written for The Golden Snitch forum.


**_A/N: This fic was written for The Golden Snitch forum. Specifically, it was written for Cheeky Slytherin Lass' 'The Great School Bake Off' competition. Prompt: Black Eyed Susan: 1. Vanilla cake (Character: James Potter I) 2. Pineapple and orange liqueur filling (Setting: Diagon Alley) 3. Orange zest buttercream frosting (Dialogue: "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?") 4. Stemless cherry for garnish (Object: pebble)_**

* * *

 **Bombonieres and Wedding Cakes**

"James… we are not here to shop for a new broom," Lily said, barely able to suppress yet another sigh.

Her fiance was staring longingly into Quality Quidditch Supplies, his palms and nose pressed against the window. On the other side of the glass, sat a polished broom. Whilst she never had any inclination to follow Quidditch, she could tell from the large price tag displayed in the corner in flashing lime green letters that it was the newest broom on the market.

"Come one, we haven't even touched the list yet and it's almost midday," she tried again, but James' shoulders only sagged. He was being impossible again, but something told her nagging him wouldn't help. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Perhaps, if we get everything we need to today—and I mean _everything_ —we can stop back here on the way home."

Just like a little child who was promised a sweet, James spun around. "Promise?"

"Yes, now can we please go?"

James rubbed his hands together. He glanced at the shop front again and reached out for the parchment in Lily's hands. "So, what's first on the list?"

Lily swatted his hands away, knowing James would more likely than not lose her shopping list, or, more likely still, rewrite it for her.

"I need to check up on our invitations; Ronaldo sent an owl this morning saying that they were ready to be picked up. Then we need to buy a few things for the bombonieres, check the bridesmaid's robes are going well, pick up a normal dress for Petunia in case she changes her, make sure catering is sorted, buy a few more centerpieces since Black has hidden the ones I'd chosen"—James snorted, but Lily sent him a look that had him quieten immediately—"and then we have to choose our cake."

James perked up at the mention of cake, but it wasn't enough to stop him from groaning again. Raising a hand and tussling his already dishevelled hair, he scrunched up his nose. "Do we _really_ need all of that? It just sounds like a lot of extra work. I mean, what's a bom—bon—"

"A bomboniere?"

"Yeah, them. We both know people are going to be more interested in which bridesmaids snog which guest. Padfoot already has—"

Lily fixed James with a look that had him take a step back. He gave her a cheeky grin, running his hand through his hair again.

"Yes, we need everything on this list. Do you have any idea how far behind I am in all this planning? I haven't slept in weeks thinking about whether or not the tablecloths will match the chair sashes, or if I've made sure not to put my aunt Mildred next to my mother," Lily said, working hard to contain her annoyance.

James really had been clueless as to just how much work a wedding was. As far as he was concerned, his job was done when he managed to slip a ring on her finger. He had no idea as to the finer details she was stressing about, and if he wasn't such an important part of the day, she would have thrown him out of the entire wedding altogether. After all, she couldn't very well walk down the aisle to no one on the other end.

 _Or could she?_

Lily's green eyes narrowed even more as she realised that James had already lost interest. He was looking at the ground now, his hands in his pockets as he kicked a small pebble on the sidewalk. It took a moment of silence before he realised that she was still glaring at him. When he lifted his head up to her, he gave a small shrug.

"You're doing a great job, Lils," he said, the lopsided smile still on his face. "You wouldn't want me messing up all your planning, now, would you? I still can't tell the difference between eggshell and bone-white, you know."

 _Impossible!_

Lily threw her hands up in the air. She turned on the spot and began marching away from James, the list now scrunched in her hand.

"Lils! Come on, Lils," James called, following her as she stormed down Diagon Alley.

She was vaguely aware that people were staring at her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Why couldn't he just for once not be so...

"Ok, ok, I give up. I'm sorry, Lily, I'm sorry!"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she was soon swung around to face James. The amusement was gone from his hazel eyes as they searched her own, begging for forgiveness.

Lily huffed, pushing his hands off her shoulders. Folding her arms, she raised an eyebrow and waited for what James had to say.

The boy licked his lips nervously. "I know I should be paying more attention to our wedding, and I know you've put so much effort into it already."

She nodded. It was a good start, but she needed more from him. Why couldn't he at least feign interest for a little while? Frank Longbottom had absolutely no clue what ice sculpture Alice had wanted for their wedding (getting some duck instead of the swan her friend had hoped for), but at least he had tried. Not once had Frank complained about trying on dress robes or why his mother wasn't allowed to write the guest list herself.

She tapped her foot, prompting James to continue.

"I promise I will help out more, alright? Just—just please take it slower. I've only got so much space in my head for these things, and I can't keep up with your extrav—wonderfully brilliant ideas."

Lily sighed again. James took this as a sign that he had done well and took her hands in his. Pressing a kiss to her knuckles, he gave her a hopeful smile. She tried her best to look stern, but she couldn't help but soften at his gaze. He was an idiot sometimes, but an adorable idiot that she had agreed to marry.

"Ok, ok, fine, it's fine," she said, taking her hands from him with a smile. With a glance at the long list, she nodded towards Twilfitt and Tattings. "We'd better get a move on, though, otherwise we'll be here all night."

James linked his arm through it, guiding her towards the small robe shop. It was a little more expensive than Lily had hoped, yet Madame Twilfitt herself was rumoured to be the best seamstress in the city and knew for certain what was appropriate wizarding attire for a wedding. She would only pop in there long enough to get some ideas before finalising her bridesmaids dresses at Madame Malkin's, and to avoid James seeing the heavy price tags of the material.

"You know what, I have a better idea," James said, pulling them to an abrupt stop.

He was eyeing the shop as though it were a Death Eater's house. Lily saw him grimacing at all the lace and ribbon, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He was out of his depth, she knew, and it was quite amusing to see. He reached over and snatched the list out of her hand and scanned it.

"Why don't we save time? Whilst you look at the dresses and whatnot, how about I go pick out our cake? That way, we save time walking up and down the street and you can relax," he said.

Lily's heart stopped. James pick out the wedding cake? Himself? She wanted him to help, but it wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Still, she swallowed, giving him a quick smile.

"Er..."

"What's the matter? Don't you trust me?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in mock hurt. The effect was ruined by his lips turning up in a grin, letting her know that she hadn't managed to hide the look of sheer terror that she felt.

"I... Well..."

James held a hand to chest and held his other hand up, palm facing towards her. "I solemnly swear to choose a cake that is absolutely perfect for our wedding. It will not, as my fiancé is clearly doubting, feature any sort of embarrassing cake topper. It will also be a neutral flavour like chocolate or vanilla that everyone can enjoy," he said.

Lily could feel her cheeks heating up. She repeated James' promise through her head, trying to figure out any loophole in it. He had said no embarrassing cake topper, so at least she wouldn't find a figurine of herself, James and a large black dog on top of her cake as she had been fearing.

"Well? Do we have a deal?" James asked, holding his hand out. "You do want me to help out with this wedding, right?"

Taking a deep breath, Lily nodded and shook it. Her mind was screaming for her to take it back, but it was too late.

James winked and steered her towards the shop's door. Opening it for her and causing the little bell above it to tinkle, he pushed her through the door.

"I'll see you in half an hour!" he said, quickly shutting the door again.

Lily stared at the door, her heart beating faster. It wouldn't be so bad, would it?

* * *

It was probably the longest half hour Lily had ever faced. Despite being given the chance to try on a few different dresses herself whilst James was absent, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to what he was doing. Her imagination ran wild, pulling up images of cakes covered in tacky red and gold icing, or worse, covered in green writing with the words 'just married' or something equally horrible.

Why did she let him go off on his own? Why couldn't she just hold her tongue, and continue doing the work herself?

Her heart pounded in her chest as the door to the sweet shop opened and James came out, a large box in his hands. Well, at least it wasn't a tiny box holding cauldron cakes or something. When he spotted her, he gave a small wave, almost dropping the box.

Lily gasped and rushed over, helping him steady it.

"You picked one out, then?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded more cheerful than she felt. "You didn't want to maybe look around at other shops?"

James clicked his tongue. "Lily, Lily, Lily. When it comes to the art of food, a man such as myself needs little time to embrace the options offered to him."

"Ok, ok, just checking," she said. "Do I at least get to see it?"

Her fiancé looked down at her, his head tilted to the side as though he were considering her request. Lily lightly punched him on the arm, causing him to chuckle.

"Fine, fine, be impatient. But you only get one peak," he said. Balancing the box towards her, he nodded towards the lid. "Quickly now, we have other work to do."

Lily ignored his jab, reaching for the opening. Her palms were sweaty as she fumbled with the tab, her heart now threatening to burst from her chest. What if she didn't like it?

No, that was being ridiculous. She almost certainly would not like it, but it didn't matter. James wouldn't do anything to upset her, not when he knew how important it was to her. Sure, he might resent having to do the work, but surely he wouldn't sabotage this?

Taking another deep breath, Lily took the plunge and flipped open the lid of the box. There, sitting carefully on layers of tissue paper, was a tall, white frosted layered cake. Around each layer was a light green ribbon, one that matched the colour scheme of the rest of the wedding (and, funnily enough, her eyes). There was no writing on the cake, with the only other decor being small, pearl beads around the top. It was simple but elegant, and better than anything Lily could have hoped to find.

"So... James do well?" he asked.

Lily looked up at him, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She nodded. "It's perfect."

James winked at her. Lily had to fight the urge to wrap him up in a hug, not wanting to squash the cake and all the effort he had clearly put into choosing it. She had been wrong to doubt him, and James knew it.

"Maybe I should start making a few other decisions, mmm? Say, do we have a band booked yet?"

Lily playfully smacked him arm again, laughing. "Ok, ok, you did very well. Thank you."

"That's what I thought," he said. "Come on, I think this deserves a kiss."

She walked up to him, prepared to give him more than a kiss when they got home. She smiled as she watched James start to put the lid back on the cake. Something caught her eye, however, and her smile disappeared.

"James..."

"Mmm?"

"What is _that_?" Grabbing the lid, she reopened the box and pointed at something gold on the back of the cake.

James shrugged his shoulders, his cheeks growing red. With a sheepish grin, he said, "Oh, just some decoration."

Lily looked from him to the cake and back again. She knew it had been too good to be true. There, on a small bit of the cake facing James' chest, was a glittering gold Snitch badge pinned to the cake. In small letters, the words, 'Go Prongs' flashed across the ball.

James shrugged again. "Well, I did do well to catch you, didn't I?"

Closing the lid, Lily sighed. He really was an idiot. Leaning up on her toes, she gave James a quick peck on the cheek, feeling him relax. Then, before he got too cocky, she whacked him on the shoulder one last time and nudged him along the street.

"Come on, let's finish our shopping before I change my mind."


End file.
